Sunday, February 10, 2008

Positivity in the Face of Losing

Well, I can't say I didn't think this was coming. Things were starting to stack in the Sens favour:

a) People writing them off (usually they go on to Cup finals in the face of that sort of thing)b) Heatley coming backc) Alfredsson (no less than league scoring leader when he got injured) coming backd) The Habs beating them less than 5 days agoe) No team takes being pushed to OT by Florida as a good thing

The good news is for the Habs, that we aren't playing the Snes in our next game and that it would be unlucky to face another team with so many things pointing towards win as there were this night - particularly 2 superstar players just coming back at home.As for the drive for first place, perhaps hope is not gone yet. There are lots of reasons to be positive after this week:

1) Though it was a bad week, it is the first week since mid-December where we have got less than a point a game

2) We have somehow managed to miraculously awaken the Toronto Maple Leafs (they beat Detroit now). Not only will this make life harder for the other teams of the East, If the losing stops, Leafs fans won't have the stomach for rebuilding - and so the cycle continues

3) We are actually better than the Senators against other teams in the league. So, as long as we don't play them, we may outpace them

4) The time that players realise they need to get a few more wins to make the playoffs is almost upon us. A slump in January seems to escape them for relevance, while one in March when games to play are dwindling hits home

5) The players who have been good are still good: Markov, Komisarek, Hamrlik, Streit, Huet, Kovalev, Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Koivu - we have not been riding a false wave of Berezins, Dackells and other fourth liners this year. Although a few more surprises from the Begins, Dandenaults and Smolinskis of this team might be nice

6) We signed the chief scout of that team who just thrashed us - looking like a good signing after watching the Sens again

7) We have Bob Gainey - while the media call for big (and often desperate) trades, he makes little moves that make this team better right under their noses - trying to find the next Mark Streit or Cristobal Huet without giving anything away

8) Finally, we can stop being CBC darlings after losing on Hockey Day in Canada. CBC darlings never win in the final...